World creation

Character creation

First Quest

An amalgam of the Quest Starters from our worldbuilding choices:

1. From The Old World

You are a descendant of the Skulde. Because of your heritage, your family has long borne the distrust of your fellow Ironlanders. Now, a small force of Skulde have landed on our shores. Are they the harbinger of an invasion? Where do your loyalties lie?

This is just such an awesome character backstory I couldn't not take it. I think that Kova was a baby when the Skulde who carried her was killed during a raid. Whether the Skulde or the Ironlanders were the perpetrators of that raid, she has gotten conflicting information on. But given how everyone treats her, she's pretty sure she knows from which group she descends from. She was raised by a Warden and her husband, saved perhaps only by her Godmark.

2. From Iron

Your dreams are haunted by visions of a pillar which stands in an unfamiliar landscape. What do you see? Why are you sworn to seek it out?

This is just a delightfully weird aspect to add to add to a world -- so alienating, so different and strange. It seems almost sci-fi in this very fantasy world. I think this is the most important aspect that forces Kova to leave -- perhaps to the relief of those around her in Papyli. She must find the pillar in her dreams.

3. From Defense

You come upon a dying warden. She tells you of an important mission, and charges you with its completion. “Swear to me,” she says, reaching out with a bloodied hand to give you an object crucial to the quest. What is it?

I think this happened shortly before Kova began having the pillar dreams. She believes that this was the start of it -- the start of... something, at least. Destiny, perhaps? An answer to her questions about her origins?

4. From Religion

   You bear the mark of a god. What is it? The priests declare this as a sign you are chosen to fulfill a destiny. Do you accept this fate, and swear to see it through, or are you determined to see it undone? What force opposes you?

Kova's Godmark is the sign of Grimbrook, her veins spreading across her body not like a human's but closer to the veins of leaves stretched into the shape of a human. Her skin carries with it a lightly coppery tinge, too. It changes in intensity with the seasons.

History

I wonder often if we are the same people now that we were when we left our homeland.

It took months to come from the homeland to the 🏝Ironlands via longboat. It was an always arduous, often dangerous journey, I have heard that much. I was not yet old enough to remember what happened when I was on the boat, protected in the tunic of my mother, wailing against the sound and motion of the waves and the chill rain that dripped down her body.

It was not only the elements from which she had to protect me. Other Groups, for that is what they--... we call ourselves now, sought someone to blame for being forced out of their home and into what had, until that point, been considered accursed lands. A defenseless Skulde baby filled that role for many of them. I was apparently the subject of some debate, Godmark and all. Many wanted to throw both my mother and I overboard. The elders would not let that happen.

"We are better than them," they scolded the violence from their people. "We will not kill the innocent, the defenseless. We will treat life with the respect that it deserves." And yet, they still look at me and see little more than my blood. I may have been raised amongst them, I may know their culture better than some of them do, I may practice their customs... But I was born a Skulde, and to most, I will always be a Skulde.

They even saw fit to curse me with a weapon of my people, marking me forever. The axe, Lifecarver, was first wielded by the one who birthed me. Like poetry, the story of a weapon must rhyme. I would like to wield a sword of my people -- my ACTUAL people, those who raised me -- someday.

One does not simply forego a weapon here. That is a death sentence.

This is all you need to know of my life. The specifics matter not, I am used to them. It has been a long time.

Inciting Event

To say this was the beginning would be a lie, but it is nonetheless the place I must start.

👤Owena was a Warden of Papyli. I looked up to her. Considered her a friend, even. Loved her, when I was lucky enough to be able to do so... though those times were few and far between, what with her responsibilities as Warden and all.

Papyli had been facing nightly undead hordes, sent from the cavern network to its north-northeast. We had lost many, another Warden just two nights before and more regular folk than I could count.

I slept during the days and fought alongside the Wardens during the nights. My weapon -- Lifecarver -- was invaluable against the hordes, borne from the same magic, able to kill them for good. The Osteomancer sent veritable armies of undead, the town was overrun every time -- there were just too many of them. The skeletons would drag the bodies back to the cave, more soldiers for the next night, stripped bare of flesh.

👤Owena was the reason I had stayed in Papyli for as long as I had. Many months longer than I generally stayed in one place, especially outside of the Bitterfrost, the cold month. I was smitten with her. And I'd like to think she felt similarly of me.

She was the one person who treated me like an Ironlander. Who understood that I was not my past, not my blood.

And now she is gone.

After we lost Aida, her anger got the better of her. She stormed the caves alone. She approached the Osteomancer alone. She won, alone. But it cost her everything.

With her final words, 👤Owena entrusted in me the location of... Well, I'm not really sure. But she told me to go there. And I need to. For her.

I've had nightmares of the pillars ever since.

Iron Vow

To 👤Owena I made an Iron Vow. I will get to whatever is to the north among the snow. I will find what she wants me to find there. I must.

• I missed bad, losing two momentum as I chose to press on.
• The obstacle The Oracle gave me was: "You encounter a fellow traveler in peril."
• I consulted the Oracle again to get an idea of the peril this other traveler is in.
  • "Home", "Mysticism"
• So this is a kindred spirit searching for a home after losing hers to a mystic problem. I think that she's traveling toward Papyli from a neighboring village, Fjoll, in search of help.

What Happened in Fjoll

Fjoll is a village 🏙Circle about a day's travel from Papyli. It is primarily run by three families:

• The Torradssons, who manage the village's agricultural needs and food.
• The 👪Griths, who manage the village's rules, regulations, and laws.
• The Bothvars, who manage the village's defense from threats.
  👤Shekhar Bothvar is the daughter of the Bothvar matriarch, and next in line for the position.

On , an 🧝‍♀️Elf named 🧝Mitunu approached the elders of Fjoll with a proposition: He knew that in the village's stores they held an item useful in a Ritual for binding people to a vow or task, obligating them to do something for the wielder. 🧝Mitunu's people did not trust this in the hands of the Groups, sure that it would spark war between them and the 👹Giants should it fall into the wrong hands. In return, 🧝Mitunu has said that his people will ensure that the beast that is coming for the village is redirected elsewhere.

Of course, the village of Fjoll knew nothing of an incoming threat. It was widely known that 🧝‍♀️Elves did not perceive time as we do, that they were skilled in the art of future-telling. If this warning was coming from an 🧝‍♀️Elf, two things were true:

1. The warning should be heeded. They are not known to lie, nor to be wrong.
2. It was in at least his -- and more likely, his people's -- best interest to make this deal. They saw Fjoll continuing to hold this item as a bad thing.

Trust of Elves is not common among Groups, even despite their powers being known to be reliable. This comes from their reputation as harbingers of bad omens -- they only appear when they have bad news to deliver, or when they need something from them. Their magic, also, is intimidating -- they have much finer control over it than even the most skilled and attuned Ironlander. It is widely believed, and with some evidence, that 🧝‍♀️Elves only ever work in their own self-interest.

So, alongside 🧝Mitunu, the council was gathered to discuss. Do we trust this outsider? Do we believe that this Beast would be too much for our own forces? How do we know that, if we refuse, the 🧝‍♀️Elf would not just sent a Beast of his own making or manipulation our way to teach us a lesson?

👤Shekhar Bothvar was in attendance at this meeting, and had a voice there. It was her who brought up the idea that this could be the 🧝‍♀️Elf's manipulations -- the other council members far too trusting, ready to give away this powerful item so quickly. When her words fell on deaf ears, she left out of frustration. The girl is young, and this was not the first time that her legitimate concerns had been dismissed.

The last person she expected to find upon the road was the Skuldeborn.

A Meeting of Kindred Spirits

I roll Begin the Scene to begin the scene between 👤Shekhar and Kova. I have a clear advantage if this goes sideways: Kova is a warrior, 👤Shekhar is a politician. Still, alone on the road, Kova knows to always have her guard up. 🕸Illugi hisses, startled at the sudden person coming around the same bend. I'm going to Secure an Advantage, as I don't know if I'm in danger yet. I'm taking a defensive stance, so I'll roll with Iron.

I miss hard. Rolling on the "Pay the Price" table, I get "It causes a delay or puts you at a disadvantage." I'd put 👤Shekhar attacking Kova at Unlikely, but I'm going to Ask the Oracle about it.

I get a "No", meaning that she doesn't straight up attack me. Earlier, I rolled that 👤Shekhar was Demanding, so perhaps seeing me as an Ironsworn she demands that I escort her to Papyli, even though that's precisely where I'm headed away from.

Let's see how Kova handles this demand. I'd say there is some risk here, as it is Bitterfrost, and Kova will need a place to stay with 🕸Illugi. Other than a few farms, there aren't many places nearby other than Fjoll. She's going to Face Danger.

"Ironsworn are not lackeys," she says to the demanding 👤Shekhar. "We're not here just to fulfill any quest you might see fit to give us." That sounds like observation to me, so we'll roll with Wits.

I miss again! "You fail, or a momentary success is undermined by a dramatic turn of events."

The Journey to Fjoll

Paying the Price again, I roll "A surprising development complicates your quest." I roll on the Story Clues table to get an idea of what this could mean, rolling "It involves a person or community from your background."

So it must involve the Skulde in some way. Perhaps the item of power that Fjoll has is one made by the Skulde.

The Cultural Touchstone I rolled for Fjoll was Martyred Heroes, so perhaps this item was taken from the Skulde from a member of one of the families that now make up Fjoll who eventually succumbed to their wounds. Let's roll them up and see what we get:

Name: Yorath
Role:* Artisan
Goal: Protect a person
Descriptor: Ironsworn
First Look: Armored
Disposition: Curious

A statue of Yorath, son of the Torradsson family, sits heavily armored and carved from stone in the central square of Fjoll. He recovered this item from a Skulde artificer's lair after hearing rumors of its power upon the battlefield, able to turn allies upon each other and other heinous things.

Yorath managed to get into the Skulde keep, into the Tresher's quarters, and almost all the way out before he was spotted. He managed to get the Direshame all the way back to his Warden-Keeper, who also happened to be his father, before eventually dying. He is considered a hero by the Torradsson family. Ever since, Direshame has sat unused, protected by the current Matriarch of the family should it indeed ever be needed again.

Let's generate a name for the item: Direshame. Yeah, that's suitably Skulde-y. I envision it as a circlet with an eye-shaped gem at its center, like the wearer has a small third-eye through which they can see into the soul of those they target.

👤Shekhar exclaims as they talk, "If not for that damn Direshame I wouldn't be in this mess!"

Recognizing the naming convention, Kova says, "Wait, Direshame? I know that name," lowering her weapon. "You mean that Fjoll has a Skulde weapon?"

👤Shekhar has a realization, then. Of course the Skuldeborne wants to gather the items of her people -- the last connection she has to them. I'm going to roll on the Disposition table to see how she feels about that.

I rolled, "Desperate". I think 👤Shekhar hatches a plan -- if Kova can take the Direshame, then surely that 🧝‍♀️Elf 🧝Mitunu wouldn't have any reason to stay in her village and things can go back to normal. I don't think she's told Kova about 🧝Mitunu yet so 👤Shekhar can pull a fast one on her -- she doesn't care about this Skuldeborne wretch, the 🧝‍♀️Elf can kill her for all she cares.

She convinces Kova of the plan to return to the Torradsson longhouse under the cover of night and steal the Direshame right from under their noses. As long as she doesn't ever make it clear that 👤Shekhar is involved, Kova can keep it, do whatever she'd like with it, just get it out of the village's hair.

I'm going to roll Swear an Iron Vow as Kova is too eager to promise this to 👤Shekhar without getting all the details. I got a strong hit! I gain +2 Momentum.

The pair trudges through the snow back to Fjoll and, as it turns out, they have quite a lot in common. 👤Shekhar has also frequently felt alienated and unlistened too, mostly due to her age, even in a position of power. Kova grits her teeth at the privilege on display. "Yeah, it's just like that," she says.

I'm going to roll Undertake a Journey as this is the start of our first journey. I'll also roll Follow a Path as we're walking on a road on mostly familiar terrain to both 👤Shekhar and Kova.

On the Undertake a Journey: I got a weak hit! I mark progress, but lose 1 Supply.

On the Follow a Path: I get a weak hit! That means we complete the journey, but face a cost or complication. I'm going to choose, You suffered under the burden of foul weather, worries, or fearful locations: Endure Stress.

According to my Calendarium (an Obsidian plugin I'm using for calendar tracking and weather), it is 31F out and flurrying. I guess the cold got to our bones. Given that it's relatively light weather, I'll give it a relatively low Rank and lose 1 Spirit. Then, I'll roll with Spirit:

I miss, losing 1 Momentum.

Arriving in Fjoll

It would look suspect if 👤Shekhar and I arrived at the same time, so we decide that I will Make Camp while we wait for true night to fall.

I gain a Strong Hit! That means I can choose two effects. I'll choose Relax (regain 1 Spirit) and Focus (+1 Momentum).

Then, I see the candles begin to be blown out in the Torradsson longhouse, each window going dark one by one. I wait another hour. Then, I begin my approach.

I will Face Danger to start, attempting something risky -- getting up close to the building-mound despite the fact that this village has an Outpost. I'll roll with +Shadow as I'm using stealth.

I miss, meaning my success is undermined by a dramatic turn of events. I need to Pay the Price. I can make the most obvious negative outcome happen, I can roll on the yes/no table, or I can roll on the Pay the Price table. I think the most obvious negative outcome of this is that I'm discovered. I'm going to say it's about 50/50 that it's 🧝Mitunu or one of the Torradsson family. Let me consult the Oracle: I got "Yes", so it was 🧝Mitunu. I wonder what he has to say?

I rolled on the NPC Disposition table and got the "Helpful" and "Indifferent" options. That is super interesting. I wonder if this was 🧝Mitunu's plan all along?

Either way, I have an ally. I think that he is staying with the Torradssons even though he needn't sleep. I think he opens the door for me, letting me come inside. When I give him a strange look, he shrugs and gives me a soft, knowing smile.

Inside the Torradsson Longhouse

I've made it in. That's another segment of my Journey done. Let me do that roll:

I miss hard. I am "waylaid by a perilous event" and must Pay the Price. I get, "The current situation worsens." 🧝Mitunu vanishes into the shadows before he is seen.

I think I am spotted by one of the Torradssons. I will use the Warrior statblock for them. Let me roll up some information about them:
Name: Sadia
Role: Fisher
Goal: Avenge a wrong
Descriptor: Armored
First Look: Unassuming
Disposition: Hostile

Alright, so an unassuming armored Warrior who wants revenge for me breaking into her home.

I am going to Enter the Fray. I would say I am "Facing off against my foe" (the other options being against an unaware foe or ambushed), so I'll roll with Heart:

I got a weak hit! I will bolster my position, gaining 2 momentum. We Clash, so I roll +Iron:

I miss. I am outmatched and must Pay the Price. The most obvious outcome happening, I think, is that I get hit, so I'll Endure Harm: A strong hit! I take some damage, but I also get to choose from shaking it off or embracing the pain. I think I'll choose the latter, gaining 1 Momentum.

The enemy still has Initiative. We Clash again: I got a weak hit that time! So I still need to Pay the Price. I'll roll on the Pay the Price table this time:

"A surprising development complicates your quest." Interesting. Let's consult the Oracle to see what form that takes: "Protect + Truth". I think that Sadia Torradsson is not just protecting her home here, she's protecting some truth from getting out. What could that truth be? Let's roll on the Story Clue table: "Involves a personal item."

Okay. My only personal item is Lifecarver, so the truth involves that somehow? Perhaps it and Direshame were made by the same Skulde artificer. I like that. Maybe we can learn more about that later.

For now, Sadia has the initiative. I'm going to Turn the Tide, stealing initiative to make a move. That move will be Strike. I roll a weak hit. I inflict my harm and lose Initiative.

We trade blows again, Clashing once more. I get a weak hit, inflicting my harm but still lacking Initiative. This fight is very evenly matched, it seems -- I'll also need to think about whether the sounds of this wakes anyone else up. We'll see how that goes after the fight itself.

Either way, we Clash once more, netting me another weak hit.

Now, with Sadia's Progress bar down to 2/10 left, I'm going to try to end the fight. I don't want to kill her, but just to disable her for now so I can get to my prize. I'll roll End the Fight: I get a weak hit. I get to choose from several options, and I think I'll choose You are overcome: Endure stress. I'll roll that: A weak hit! I press on after taking some Spirit damage.

The fight is over. I take deep, heaving breaths. I think I will Face Danger, rolling with Shadow, to see if we woke anyone: A strong hit! I am successful in keeping the longhouse asleep. I gain 1 Momentum.

I'm going to say that that is another journey segment complete -- I'm deeper into the Torradsson longhouse, and the one person who was awake is incapacitated. I'll roll +wits: A weak hit. I lose some supplies, maybe some bandages tending to my wound.

I'm going to Secure an Advantage now, moving slowly and carefully assessing my surroundings as I get deeper in. 👤Shekhar said that the Direshame was in the storeroom, as far from the door as possible. I'll roll with Shadow: a ROUGH miss. I pay the price: "It forces you to act against your best intentions."

I decide to rush, risking waking up others: I Face the Danger: Strong hit. Phew.

That's filled up my Progress Clock, so I could roll to Finish the Scene. That has a relatively low chance of working at this point, though, so instead I'll continue. I Face Danger deeper into the Torradsson Longhouse, rolling once again with Shadow: A weak hit. I mark progress, but also encounter a setback. Let's consult the oracle to see what that could be:

From the Story Clue table, it "involves a hidden or mysterious person". I think that 🧝Mitunu is stalking me from the shadows, but how could that be a setback? Perhaps one of his spells goes awry, a Ritual Backlash as he's magically keeping the Torradssons asleep.

"You hear ghostly voices whispering of dark portents." I'm going to Endure Stress in response: A miss! I'm going to burn some Momentum to cancel one of the die, making it a weak hit. I press on.

I'll try one last Face Danger on my way to the storeroom: a strong hit! I mark progress. At 8/10 progress, I'm going to try to Reach Your Destination now: A strong hit! I stealth my way to the storeroom and manage to find and steal the Direshame. That's a big deal. I'll make progress on my Vow as well. My Vow was to take it far away, so I cannot fulfill that quite yet.

Now I'm going to Follow a Path out: I miss. I am waylaid by a dire threat, and must Pay the Price. A boss after the journey is complete makes sense. Another Torradsson wakes up and sees me with the crown.

Eldest Brother Wulan Torradsson

Name: Wulan
Role: Leader
Goal: Cure an ill
Descriptor: Influential
First Look: Firstborn
Disposition: Wanting

So he's an influential leader looking to cure an illness. You'd think he's a Firstborn at first glance. He wants Kova.

He's big, intimidating, and eager to make this fight just the two of us. I Draw the Circle to accept his challenge: I miss, hard. I begin the duel at a disadvantage and Pay the Price: "The current situation worsens." I was going to use the Warrior statblock for him, but instead I will use the Raider statblock and raise his Rank.

We Enter the Fray: I get a weak hit. I'm going to Prepare to Act, giving me Initiative. I attack with Strike: A weak hit. I inflict my harm, and lose initiative.

We Clash next: A miss. I am outmatched and must Pay the Price. This guy is strong, I'm not sure I'll be able to do this!

I'd say it's Likely that I took damage there. Let me Consult the Oracle: Yes, I took damage. I'm down to 1 Health. I will Endure Harmnext: A miss. I suffer -1 momentum.

Fighting this guy is clearly not working. I'm going to attempt to flee with Secure an Advantage, using the darkness to my advantage: A strong hit! I am going to Take Control of the combat, making another move now, adding +1 to my roll: I'm going to Turn the Tide, taking initiative from my opponent. Then, I'm going to Face Danger of the night outside to get the hell out of there: A weak hit. I sacrifice more resources in getting away, dropping the rope from my pack.

Finishing the Vow

I get as far from Fjoll as I can in one night before Making Camp again and tending to my wounds. I don't get very far, but hopefully it's far enough that the Torradssons won't come after me.

When I Make Camp: A weak hit. I recuperate, gaining +1 health.

When I Heal: Miss. My aid is ineffective, and I now must pay the price. I roll, "It is stressful." I Endure Stress: I miss again. I suffer -1 momentum.

🧝Mitunu finds me in my camp somehow. "Be careful with that artifact," he says, voice like creaking wood. "There are many out there who crave it."

"I'll take my chances," I reply. "Now find your own campsite."

He smirks again. I hate it when they do that. And then, he is gone.